Takayoshi Kiminami

Takayoshi Kiminami (君波 隆祥)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 191 lb.

• School Chuo University
• High School Kumagaya Commercial High School

• Born July 20, 1958 in Kumagaya, Saitama Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Takayoshi Kiminami played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 10 years.

Kiminami signed with the Yakult Swallows in 1980, and he stayed in the NPB Farm Leagues in his first season. He was 5-for-28 in 1982, and he went 1-for-27 in 1983. Since Yakult already had star catchers Akihiko Oya and Yukio Yaegashi, Kiminami didn't get many chances with the big club in his early years. He only had 9 at-bats combined in the next two seasons, and he hit .244/.262/.390 in 34 games in 1986. Kiminami led the Eastern League in RBI in 1987, and he led in RBI and homer in 1988. However, Shinji Hata shined and took the starting spot, and Kiminami only played 7 games from '87 to '89. He played 50 games with a .250/.246/.353 batting line in 1990, and he slumped to .186/.200/.220 in 1991. He was 4-for-26 in 1992, and he appeared in the 1992 Nippon Series Game 2 and 6 as pinch-hitter.; the Swallows lost to the Seibu Lions in 7 games. Kiminami went 0-for-2 in 1993, and he announced his retirement.

Overall, Kiminami hit .185/.210/.261 with 51 hits in 10 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan